There are still 28 days to participate in the public consultation for the shared construction of the Circular Economy National Strategy.
On the 30th of September the MiTE published the communication of the opening of the public consultation for the Circular Economy National Strategy. The aim is to guarantee a broad participation for the construction of this strategic document, whose path was blocked in 2017 and that, since then, needs an adequate update to the new national, european and global challenges. In particular, this update – planned for June 2022 – is included in the reforms supporting the investments of the Mission 2, Component 1 of the Recovery and Resilience National Plan, dedicated to “Circular Economy and Sustainable Agriculture”.
With this perspective, in the context of the Stati Generali 2021 of the Green Economy, on Wednesday the 27th of October at Ecomondo there has been the event on the National Strategy for Circular Economy in collaboration with the Circular Economy Network (CEN). The detailed thematic session on circular economy – whose video is available on the website of the Stati Generali (from the 6th hour) – started with the speech of Stefano Leoni of the CEN with the purpose to contextualise the italian situation and launch the suggestments of the Network. In particular, it has been remarked the great dependence of Italy from imports of raw materials as well as the national vocation towards their transformation.
Starting with these premises, there have been a succession of many speeches by the different guests (from the consortium and firms’ world to the institutional one, from Legambiente to ISPRA and ENEA), thanks to which it was built an interesting and articulated debate that touched a copious number of points.
Among the main arguments touched there are the followings:
- in the circular economy field Italy does not start from zero: according to Eurostat, the italian circularity index is 19%. This means that there is a great margin for improvements for the remaining 81%. Thus, it is important to give value to what has already been done, fill the gaps still present, to protect and finance the innovative italian firms in the sector;
- the esigence to plan measures to protect workers and for their continuous education, in order to fight the mbalances alaredy present and those that will come out in the future;
- it is fundamental, in the national strategy, to establish goals that are measurable with univocal and well-defined indicators. Furthermore, it has been remaarked the need for an action plan and the definition of the resoruces’ allocation in the Strategy;
- regarding the tax system, it was underlined the importance of incentives for the transition form a linear system to a circular one. For such purpose, it is necessary the education of the citizenry and the creationof a market, for examplge for reconditioned goods, both from the offer side and from the demand side;
- the urgence to systematise and implement the knowledge and competences already developed relatively to the circualr economy sector. With regards to this thematic, it was suggested by the CEN the consitution of an Agency – autonomous or dependent on ISPRA and ENEA, depending on the valuations made -with functions of support and technical consulence, both for smal and medium businesses and for municipalities, so as to assist them in the adjustment process to the innovations;
- the importance of the public administration, that has the task to create a normative apparatus which is adequate for sustaining the ecological transition, also taking into consideration how the in force system of authorisations and permits could be an impasse, especially in certain areas of the country;
- the absolute centrality of the citenzs’ involvement, in particular concerning the installation of new plants on the territory. A correct dialogue is fundamental in order to contain protests of the kind NIMBY tout court. As reminded by Roberto Morabito (ENEA), “without plants there is no circular economy. Without the citizens there is no possibility to make the plants” that respond to a strategic plan.
The public consultation is open until the 30th of November.
In addition, on the MiTE website the it is available the Document in consultation containing the guidelines for the Circular Economy National Strategy.
Please send the contributions to the following address: SEC-MITE@mite.gov.it.